


Touch of Grey

by SgtLeppard



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Chrom!Inigo, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 13:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8286754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtLeppard/pseuds/SgtLeppard
Summary: A week before Inigo, Owain, and Severa are set to return to Ylisse, a woman appears in Nohr, offering to fill in Pieri's vacated position. The thing is, while he can't see her face, he swears she's someone he knows. Someone he cares about deeply.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It was a bit of a long time coming, but this has finally been finished. I did not intend for it to be this long, but things happened
> 
> Lucina's alias, "Freyja", is in reference to [unassumingvenusaur's](http://unassumingvenusaur.tumblr.com/) Freyja AU where Lucina had also come to Nohr along with the other three and went by that name
> 
> And if anyone wants to know, Severa's dad is Gaius and Owain's is Stahl

The war was over. Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla were finally at peace. Everything was beginning to look up for everyone. Everyone except Lazward -- or rather, Inigo. There was no need to lie anymore. He, Owain, and Severa had long since divulged their secrets to everyone sometime after they first marched to the now no longer hidden kingdom, and with Anankos' defeat, the trio's true appearances were restored. Severa's hair returned to a more orange-ish shade of red, Owain's to brunette, and Inigo's to its regal dark blue. Owain and Inigo even had their Brands back in full view. They were honestly surprised how well their lieges took it, though Xander and Leon were shocked to hear that their retainers were princes in their own right. Cousins, they were well aware of, but princes from another kingdom? That's a lot.

They weren't set to leave for another week, but Inigo was still nervous about making the trip. He couldn't wait to see everyone again, but who knows how they would react. Not to mention all of his new friends that he would have to leave behind. Leaving their lieges behind would be even harder. While the three of them had their quirks, their respective lieges tolerated them and came to view their foreign retainers as close friends.

Currently, Xander, now the King of Nohr, was hip deep in retainer proposals. Camilla and Leon would need one each to take Severa and Owain's places respectively, but Xander would need two. Not only was Inigo set to return to Ylisse very soon, Pieri had recently resigned her position to be with her husband, Hinata, in Hoshido. Everyone wished Takumi good luck in dealing with her. So far, no one had heard anything bad.

Xander sighed as the most recent applicant left the throne room. "Something the matter, milord?" Inigo asked.

"Just wondering how I could ever replace you and Pieri," Xander admitted. "Everyone I've seen thus far seems to pale in comparison. They're qualified and are good potential fits, but--"

"It won't be the same," Inigo finished. "No doubt Lord Leon and Lady Camilla are feeling the same."

"When do you leave again?"

"A week's time." A very long and nerve-wracking week.

A thought came to Xander. "May I ask you a question, Inigo?"

"By all means."

"You've told me about what you've been through for your family--" Just recalling the story horrified him. "--and what you've done to restore things as they were, but I don't quite recall you saying much about your family, save for your mother."

Inigo knew this would come sooner or later. If he were at all honest, he was surprised it took him this long to ask. "Ah, where should I start...? I guess I'll start with my father."

"You mentioned being royalty for your homeland, correct?"

"Good to see your memory is still sharp as always," Inigo chuckled. "But yes. My father was Prince Chrom of Ylisse. He wielded a legendary blade known as the Falchion, like our ancestor, the Hero-King Marth, before him. He always had the utmost faith in his allies and would go out of his way to protect those he loved and cared about. After he..." He paused for a moment. Xander knew what he meant. "My sister, Lucina, took up the sword in his stead. A natural leader, she is," he chuckled. "When we first arrived, she took on Marth's name, hoping it would grant her the strength she needed to protect people. If you ask me, it certainly worked." He turned to Xander. "I have a feeling you and her would get along great."

Xander smiled. "I would certainly like to meet her."

A servant entered the throne room. "Milord? There's another individual here for the retainer position."

Another? The Nohrian king knew that a lot of people wanted to fill the vacant retainer position left by Pieri -- with another soon to be left by Inigo -- but he was certain he was done for the day.

"Would you like me to send them away?"

"No no, that won't be necessary," Xander spoke. "Send them in."

The servant bowed and went to retrieve the mystery hopeful. Inigo raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Still don't know when to stop working?"

"One more for the day won't hurt," Xander chuckled.

Inigo chuckled in return. "If you say so, milord."

Soon after, the servant returned with the applicant in tow. The person -- Inigo could tell it was a woman -- was wearing a cloak with the hood up to obscure her face. She was not the first, nor would she be the last person to arrive like that. A sword was sheathed faithfully at her side. It seemed she was another Nohrian mercenary, but that sword... _Wait a minute, that hilt looks way too familiar..._

The lady bowed. "King Xander." _Even her voice sounds familiar!_ "I apologise for arriving so late."

"It's no trouble," Xander replied, smiling. "I see you wield a sword. How long have you trained?"

"Since I was a child," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice. Inigo could share that sentiment. "My father once wielded this very same blade. He's the one who taught me and my little brother to fight."

"A little brother?"

"Yes, milord. Only by a couple of years."

Interesting. "Have you any combat experience?" he asked.

The woman sighed. "I've served in a couple of wars in my homeland."

What? She seemed young, though it was hard to tell with her hood up. "Your homeland? I assume you aren't of Nohrian descent?"

She shook her head. "My homeland is quite a distance from here. Two months' journey at the least." _Ylisse is about that far away. What is going on?_ "Thankfully I did not make the long trip here alone."

"Family?"

"Not necessarily," she replied. "Very close friends. Some departed for Hoshido, while the rest elected to stay here in Nohr with myself."

"At least your stay, be it temporary or permanent, won't be completely full of unfamiliar faces," Xander smirked.

The woman gave a soft smile in return. "That is true. But I do hope I can become familiar with them." The smile then faded. "If I understand Nohrian tradition correctly, I am to spar with you to see if I can be deemed worthy of being your retainer, milord."

"You understand correctly," he answered. "Though before we do, I would like to ask your name. You haven't given it yet."

The woman turned her head slightly, facing Inigo. He still couldn't see who she really was under that hood, but her voice was familiar, as was the hilt of the sword she carried. Was it possible that she...? No, why would she be here? This place was a myth to her knowledge. At least, that's as far as Inigo knew. Why was she staring at him? Is she waiting for him to reveal her identity?

She hesitated a moment longer before finally answering, "Freyja." She turned her attention back to Xander. "My name is Freyja."

So her name was Freyja. Or at least that's what she said, but Inigo wasn't about to call her out on it. It was clear from her hesitation that 'Freyja' was not her real name. Whatever the reason, she was hiding who she truly was. It reminded him of himself, Owain, and Severa when they had to hide their own identities. Was this Freyja woman here on similar business? So many questions, not enough answers.

"A lovely name, Freyja," Xander's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Thank you, milord," Freyja smiled.

Xander drew Siegfried from its sheath. "Shall we begin?"

"Actually," Freyja spoke, "I was wondering if I might spar with your current retainer."

Inigo? Why was she asking to spar with him instead? "May I ask why?"

Freyja smirked. "I had heard he was quite the swordsman, light on his feet -- almost as if he were dancing, and quite powerful, nearly rivaling yourself. It would be an honour to spar with him."

Well, this was unexpected. Xander was aware that Inigo's skills and prowess exceeded that of nearly everyone in the combined forces of the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies, but he didn't think that anyone, much less a woman -- save for Severa, but that went without saying -- would want to have a sparring match with him. "An interesting proposal. I'll allow it." He gestured to Inigo to go on ahead.

Stepping forward, Inigo drew his sword. "Don't let the sheath's placement fool you, dear Freyja." He twirled the blade up a little, catching the grip with his left hand effortlessly. "I'm actually left-handed." Not many people in the Nohrian army knew of this, but that was a secret that didn't have to be divulged. Of course, if he was truly going to work with this woman, she would need to know that. Granted, that is if she was hired.

"Fair enough," Freyja smiled. She wasn't even fazed in the slightest. Well, neither was Pieri, but she's Pieri. What even does faze her?

"Ever ready. Much like someone I know," he chuckled and readied himself.

Freyja then drew her sword, readying herself as well. That sword...

_Falchion!_ There was no mistaking it. How did Ylisse's sacred blade end up in this wandering mercenary's hands!? "Where did you get that from?" he asked suspiciously. When he received a simple mischievous smile in return, everything began to add up. Her voice, her obviously fake name, Falchion. Could she be...? "It can't be..."

Instead of continuing the thought, he lunged forward, but Freyja was quick to dodge and launch her own attack against him, not letting up once. Inigo could barely get a hit in edgewise, but soon found an opening and went for it. "Ha!" Freyja parried the blow with precision.

Xander watched the match unfold before him. Both of them seemed to fight in a very similar style. Was Freyja from Ylisse as well? If she was, it explained much, but then left numerous unanswered questions in its wake. If she was from Ylisse, does Inigo know her? He never mentioned meeting a woman named Freyja. Who was she to him? A stranger? Childhood friend? A simple comrade in arms during the war against Grima? A past lover? As the two continued to trade and parry blows, the king couldn't help but think of how alike they were. Freyja wasn't quite as light on her feet as Inigo, but she was graceful in her movements. They almost complimented each other like two different, yet similar dancing styles. Hell, they might as well be dancing.

Eventually, both stopped to catch their breath. How long had they been sparring? Clearing his throat, Xander spoke up, rising from the throne. "It seems you two are at a stalemate." It was true. The entire time, neither one could clearly get the upper hand on the other. Blows were easily deflected and avoided. It was indeed a draw.

"Well," Inigo started, sheathing his sword, "if we are at a draw, may we finally see your face? I'll be honest, there is quite a lot about you that is familiar. The way you fight and carry yourself. Not to mention you have Falchion in your possession, which you can't just simply buy at a local weapon shop."

A giggle came from Freyja. "And here I'd thought you'd forgotten, little brother."

"Little brot--"

Freyja removed her hood, revealing her long, dark blue locks that matched Inigo's, the Mark of Naga present in her left eye. There was no mistaking her now.

"Lucina!" Inigo ran to her, pulling her into a hug. "I missed you so much!"

'Freyja' revealed, Lucina chuckled and returned the embrace. "I've missed you too, Inigo."

Xander stepped forward. "So you're the big sister he was talking about."

"Indeed I am, milord. Wait, you've been talking about me?" She raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"Nothing bad, I promise," Inigo giggled. Oh, that would come later. What kind of brother would he be if he didn't tell a few embarrassing stories about her? "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well," she started, "our parents have their own versions of us now. Our time there is finished. We only had two options at that point: either return to our own time or travel. Obviously, there'd be little point in choosing the former."

"So you did the latter," Inigo finished. "You must've been travelling for quite a while if you managed to reach Nohr of all places."

Lucina giggled, "In actuality, we weren't just wandering about."

"Oh?"

"Ever since you left -- Gods, it was almost two years ago--" Had it really been that long? "I wished I had gone with you. Eventually, when the time came for us to leave home, I thought of you first and foremost, so I had asked Laurent if he could figure out a way to track you down."

"And you made a beeline straight here once he did." It went without saying, but he felt the need.

Lucina hummed. "He's here, by the way. In Nohr."

"He is?" Well, she did say that the others had travelled with her. "Who else stayed in Nohr?"

"Gerome, Brady, and, um, Kjelle," Lucina answered after some thinking. "The others went to Hoshido."

Hoshido would definitely suit Cynthia, Inigo thought. She was a Pegasus Knight just like her mother. Maybe being a member of the Hoshidan Sky Knights would do her well. He just hoped that she wouldn't get severe culture shock from learning that men can ride Pegasi too. She would have a field day with Tsubaki and Shigure.

Inigo suddenly started snickering. "Something wrong, Inigo?" Xander asked.

"No," he replied. "Just thought of how well Lord Leon and Laurent would get along."

Lucina joined the snickering. "He was actually the one to greet us when we arrived."

Xander couldn't help but chuckle. "Sneaky devil, he can be. If this Laurent is anything like I think he is, he is likely going to hole himself up in the library with his nose deep in about ten books at the same time."

Lucina nodded in agreement. "That is his nature."

Inigo let out a bark of laughter. "Add Lord Takumi into the mix and they won't leave the library for a week!"

Now the throne room was filled with warm laughter as they imagined Leon, Takumi, and Laurent camping out in the library and sharing tidbits of history with each other. Yes, Inigo thought. Laurent would enjoy being in Nohr, as well as Leon and Takumi's company.

Though now that his sister and friends were here, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "I guess this means that Owain, Severa, and I don't have to go anywhere."

"Yes, I suppose that is true," Xander mused. He was relieved. It was bad enough that he had to replace Pieri. He was honestly dreading having to find someone of Inigo's calibre to take his place. Now it looks like he won't have to. But... "It's sad, on the other hand, that you won't get to go home."

Lucina's smile faded. "You must've been planning to return home soon, weren't you?"

Inigo nodded. "A week from now, yeah." He shrugged. "Maybe we could visit them at some point."

"I would gladly give you a leave of absence should you wish to visit your family in your homeland," Xander spoke.

"Thank you, Lord Xander."

"Well," Lucina sighed, "why don't we focus on the lighter news?" She was right. There was a lot more in terms of happy news than there was of bad news. "Especially you and your family, Lord Xander. You won't have to find any replacements."

"Actually, there is need of a replacement," Xander admitted. "Leon won't have to replace Owain, Camilla won't have to replace Severa, and I won't have to replace Inigo. That much is certain. However, my other retainer, Pieri, recently stepped down from her position. She's living with her husband in Hoshido now. So there is still a void to be filled."

A light went off in Inigo's head. "What if Lucina took Pieri's place?" A gasp of shock from his sister and a raised eyebrow from his liege was his cue to continue. "Luce, you came all this way to see me again. Not to mention... you did kind of audition for the spot."

Lucina chuckled. "You make it sound as if this were a theatre production."

"If I may," Xander chimed in, "the way you were both sparring, it almost seemed like you were dancing all the while, and your swordsmanship certainly shows. Lady Lucina, I would be honoured to have you as my retainer."

It didn't take very long for her to respond. "And I would be honoured to serve you, Lord Xander, especially alongside my brother."

And so it was. Inigo finally had his sister back, plus some old friends. But while they were there in Nohr with him so he wouldn't have to go, he still didn't get to see his parents. It was understandable, as they had their own lives, plus their own children. But what if they hadn't come, and he went home? It would be relatively the same situation. He would finally be home, see his family again, but he would have to leave his new friends behind. Xander had said to him that he didn't require his company, only that he continued to draw breath, no matter where he went. It didn't stop him from wishing he could take his friends with him to see his homeland and family.

It was two weeks later while on patrol with Lucina when it occurred to him. They were passing by Leon and Laurent discussing who knows what. He was reminded of a saying. _"Every silver lining has a touch of grey."_ Having stayed in Nohr and seeing his old friends with him there, getting to know his new friends, instead of being in Ylisse with his parents, he understood that now more than ever.


End file.
